Yakitori Edomasa

The world revolves around chicken at Yakitori Edomasa. It’s the only meat on the menu at this Japantown restaurant, which first opened in 1924 in Tokyo and has now moved to SF. Chicken breast, thigh, wings, heart, and skin are skewered and grilled, and while the breast pieces lean a little tough, the rest are juicy, charred excellence. Their $30 yakitori set menu kicks off with an opaque paitan broth and includes a stacked roster of chicken, chicken, and more chicken. The best thing is the meatball, which is soft enough to cut through with a chopstick and gets an extra zippy bite from a smear of fresh wasabi. This walk in-only spot usually has a line, but you can always wander around the Japan Center Mall or flip through coffee table books at Kinokuniya while you wait.